Electric annunciating system.



D. L MARTYN.

ELECTRICANNUNGMTING SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED JMLZG. 1916.

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] (p/k/w NVENTOR ATTORNEY D. L. MARTYN.

ELECTRIC ANNUNCIATING SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.26. 915.

1,245,485 Patented Nov. 6, 1917.

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ATTORNEY D. L MARTYN.

ELECTRIC ANNUNCIATING SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.26. 19:5.

1 ,245,4;85. Patented NW. 5, 1917,

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INVENTOR WITN ESS ES awz.

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Patented Nov. 6, 1917.

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INVENTOR BY 4a ATTORNEY .UNITED STATES. PATENT OFFICE.

DAVID L. MAR'rvN, or non'rn YAKIMA, WASHINGTON.

ELECTRIC ANNUNCIATING SYSTEM.

To all whom it mayconcem:

Be it known that 1, DAVID L. MARTYN, a

subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at North Yakima, in the county of Yakima and State of \Vashington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements 1.11 Electric Annunclating Systems; of whlch the operating means with a clock or other means by which movement is transmitted to cause the registry and operation of the parts in the proper predetermined interval.

A still further object is to so arrange the connection between the clock or other actuating means and the means to be operated that the means to be operated may be thrown out of the driven connection, and to also provide a gage by which the driven means may be set in the proper registering relation with the clock or other operating means.

An additional object is to so construct the parts that the mechanism might be used in connection with a hotel or other telephone system, with an annunciating system comprising a plurality of circuits such as might be used in calling to order a school or other assembly, and in other like connections, and which has the parts thereof so arranged that the several circuits may be connected in various arrangements and adjustments made to complete these circuits and thus operate the call at any predetermined and desired time.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts which will be hereinafter set forth in connection with the accompanying drawings and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of the device of my invention with parts of the case broken away to illustrate interior structure.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view through a portion of the front of the casing and through the alarm cylinder.

Specification of Letters IPatent.

Application filed January 26, 1916. Serial No. 74,465.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view through the casing on the line 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 1 is a horizontal sectional view through the casing and. a portion of the alarm cylinder on the line H of Fig. 1.

The case A is made of a greater vertical dimension than the similar extent of the operative structure of the device and has a clockwork face 1 on the upper portion of the front wall 2 thereof. A clockwork mechanism 3 is disposed within the casing and is preferably mounted obliquely, as is shown in Fig. 3, thus leaving the lower portion of the case free of obstructions or of any portion of the clockwork mechanism. It will, of course, be understood that this clockwork mechanism might be driven by a main spring, by electrical clockwork movement, or even by an electric motor. The case A has the mounting brackets 4 and 5 carried by the front wall 2 thereof at spaced apart points below the clockwork face 1 and a shaft 6 held by the brackets 4 and 5 has an alarm cylinder B revolubly mounted thereon, this alarm cylinder being in substantially the form of a tubular drum and the ball bearings 7 being provided to relieve the thrust at the point where the cylinder bears upon the lower mounting bracket 1.

The clockwork mechanism has a power shaft 8 extending through the case thereof and a beveled or crown gear 9 18 secured on this shaft 8 to be rotated during the operation of the clockwork mechanism. A drive shaft 10 is mounted through the front wall of the case in the lower part and at one side thereof and a worm 11 is secured on the outer end of this drive shaft 10 to mesh with a worm wheel 12 which, as is better illustrated in Fig. 2, is made in the form of a ring and secured around the alarm cylinder. A power transmitting shaft 13 is mounted obliquely within the case A and has a beveled gear 14 thereon meshing with the bevel or crown gear 9 of the power shaft 8. A bevel gear 15 "s mounted on the lower end of the power transmission shaft 13 and meshes with a bevel pinion 16 loosely mounted on the inner end of the drive shaft 10. The worm 11 is provided with twelve threads to the inch and the worm wheel with 240 teeth, or if desired some other ratio might be adopted. The gearing connections from the power shaft 8 through the power transmitting shaft 13 and to the drive shaft 10 is so proportioned with respect to the worm and worm gear 11 and 12 respectively that the alarm cylinder B is given one complete revolution for every twelve hours as shown by the clock, when the bevel pinion 17 of the pinion 16. This loosely mounted pinion 16 and the clutch 18 are provided to permit setting of the alarm cylinder B, in

accordance with certain time designations marked thereon and to be hereinafter described, to operate in unison with the hands of the clock, and a clutch shift shaft 19 is mounted in the case A to extend substantially parallel with the shaft 10 and to extend through the front wall of the case where it is provided with the operating han- (He 20, a clutch shifting cam 21 being 'mounted on the" shaft 19 to move the clutch member 18 longitudinally on the shaft 10 as the shaft 19 is turned through the medium of the handle 20.

As was stated, it is the intention that the alarm cylinder B shall make one complete revolution in every twelve hours, and a scale 22 is provided on the drum to be adjacent the index pointer 23 as the cylinder is rotated and to thus permit accurate setting of the cylinder so that the hour designations 24 which are placed at equally spaced points around the upper end of the cylinder will move in unison with the clock hands, in the present disclosure spaces between the hour designations are subdivided to give the quarters of the hour and as illustrated, the sexeral quarters are located at various elevations below the hour designation, thus facilitating the reading of the time designations. A plurality of openings 25 are proiided through the wall of the cylinder in vertical alinement with the hour designation 2% and the quarter hour designating character 26, these open ings being also alined around the cylinder so that they are formed in rows, the present disclosure showing ten of such rows of openings extending around the cylinder and with the individual opening of one row vertically alined with those of the remaining rows and with the hour and quarter hour designating character. Each of these openings 25 has an insulating bushing 27 mounted therein and thus the cylinder presents a plurality of orifices or sockets each of which is electrically insulated from the remaining sockets. \Vhile the openings 25 are shown in the drawings as being arranged in substantially vertical lines throughout the length of the cylinder, it will be understood that these openings might be drilled or otherwise formed in a staggered relation, somewhat similar to the positioning of the time designating characters.

The shaft 6 is insulated from the brackets 4 and 5 and is held against turning movement therein by a pin or set screw 28, suitable insulated bushings being also provided between this shaft 6 and the top 29 and bottom 30 of the alarm cylinder so that in case of any leakage of current through defect in the bushings 27, the cylinder is yet insulated from the shaft to prevent short circuiting through this course.

Contact wires 31 as illustrated in Fig. 4: p)

are substantially L-shaped and are passed through the insulating bushings 32 mounted through the front wall 2 of the case and through a reinforcing strip 33 and these contact wires 31 are mounted at their free ends in the insulating block 3i which is mounted on one side of the case. A number of these contact wires 31 are mounted in a like manner in vertical alincment throu 'h the front wall 2 and the reinforcing strip 33, the number corresponding to the number of rows of openings provided around the alarm cylinder B. The contact wires 31 are of a spring material and are loosely fitted through the bushings 32 so that they may have endwise movement therein and these wires extend in their outer ends to a point adjacent the side of the cylinder B, the disposition of the contact ends 35 of the contact wires 31 being such that this arm of the of the contact wires 31 which are mounted in the insulating block 3% and thus a suitable plug may be fitted in these sockets to be electrically connected with the various contact wires.

The top 29 of the cylinder B has a plurality of openings 37 formed therethrough in which contact pins 38 may be placed when not in use, and these contact pins are made in their body portion of a size to fit through the orifices of the bushings 27, the rounded heads 39 being provided on the outer ends of the body portion of these pins and made of sufficient size that they will extend from the cylinder to engage with the contact wires 31 as the cylinder is turned. mounted on the shaft 6 to be vertically disposed and to extend in line with the contact ends 35 of the contact wires 31, this plate acting as a conductor, and a. plurality of spring contact fingers 41, which may be of hard copper, brass or other suitable material are soldered or otherwise secured on the outer edge of the plate 10 to be disposed in line with the rows of openings through the cylinder. These spring fingers &1 will con- A plate 40 is 1 of the pins 38 as'the cylinder 13 is revolved and thus a direct connection is provided from the shaft 6 toone of the sockets 36 when a pin 38 is inserted in one of the bushed openi ings of the cylinder and the cylinder is turned to bring the pin into engagement with the contact wire 31 and the contact finger 11.

The openings 37 provided in the top 29 of the cylinder are intended only to be used may be placed these parts as convenient receivers for the pins 38 when not in use and the top of the cylinder is sufficiently above the plate 410 that there can be no contact between the body portion of the electrical energy and to an annunciator which at any desired point. The remaining wire 4: 1 of the circuit has the slip plug 45 thereon to be inserted in one of the V sockets 36 and to contact with the wire 31 to thus complete the circuit. In some instances it may be desirable to connect two or more wire and annunciators on the same circuit thus calls at Several. various points might be registered by the insertlon of but a single pin 38. 7

A shaft 46, which is preferably of an 1nsulating material, is mounted within the case to extend parallel with the insulating block 34 and has the tension adjusters 4:7 thereon to bear against the several contact wires 31, being so arranged that the ad justers may be brought to have a greater or less bearing pressure against the contact wires 31 to adjust the spring tension thereof. In this way the contact ends 35 of the wires 31 will be held to have the proper extent from the bushings 32 to be engaged by the head portions 39 of the pins 38 and the tension with which the bearing is maintained may be regulated.

In the use of the device, the clock is set in the usual manner, then by turning the handle 20 the clutch member 18 is moved to the disengaged position as shown in Fig. 4, the alarm cylinder is then turned to a point at which the indicator 23 points to the time shown by the clock as this time is indicated at 22 and the handle 20 is again turned to move the clutch member 18 to a position to lock the bevel gear 16 to revolve the drive shaft 10 by which the worm 11 is carried and in consequence to cause rotation of the cylinder B through the meshing of this worm with the worm gear 12. The pins 38 may be placed in any one of the several rows of openings of the cylinder under the time at which the call is to be made and the slip plugs 1-5 of the circuit in which the annunciator is to be operated is fitted to the socket in which the contact wire 31 alined with the 5 row in which the peg is fitted is secured.

with the inner end of the body portion The operation of the clockworks and the power transmission accomplished through the power shaft 8, the power transmission shaft 13 and the drive shaft 10 causes the cylinder B to be carried forward in unison with the clock and thus as the desired time for the call is registered by the clock the cylinder will be turned to a relation that the pin mounted in the predetermined opening thereof will contact with both the finger 41 and the wire 31, thus establishing a clear connection through the annunciator circuit and maintaining this connection during the time that would be required for the cylinder to have sufiicient movement for the pin 38 to be moved from engagement with the contacts. At any time that it is desired to throw the cylinder out of operation, this can be accomplished by movement of the handle 20 to shift the clutch member 18 and with the parts .in this relation calls can be registered through the several contact wires 31 and circuits connected in the sockets '36 by arranging pins in all of the vertically alined openings under one time designation anc bringing these pins to the bridging position.

In this way it will be seen that the mechanism'might be connected in a special circuit arrangement embracing annunciator mechanism only or that it might be adopted with slight changes to be used with a driven system and that the slip plugs 4:5 might be the plugs used on the ordinary switchboard, and further that the operating mechanism might be instead of the clockworks, an electric motor or some mechanical modification of the mechanism disclosed or even means by which the cylinder would be turned manually to bring the pins into the proper operative relation. While the mechanism has been shown in only the automatic operation, it will be understood that it might be connected as the actuating means for a fire alarm system and to register calls in other connections, therefore I do not wish to be limited to the exact construction or to the uses set forth, but only to such points as may be included in the claims.

I claim:

1. An electric annunciator comprising a casing, brackets carried exteriorly of said casing, a shaft mounted in said brackets and held against rotation, insulating material arranged between the shaft and the brackets, an alarm cylinder being provided with a plurality of openings arranged in vertical and horizontal alinement, said openings having insulating material arranged therein, a plurality of spring contact fingers mounted upon and extending radially from said shaft and having their free ends arranged adjacent the inner wall of the cylinder, a plurality of contact wires carried by the casing and insulated therefrom said contact wires having their contact ends extending through the casings and arranged in alinement with the contact fingers and arranged to have resilient movement when engaged on their contact ends, headed pins to be mounted in certain of the openings to bridge between the contact fingers and the corresponding contact wires as the cylinder is rotated, mechanism to rotate said cylinder, means to throw said mechanism into and out of operative engagement with said cylinder; a common circuit wire connected with said shaft to consequently form a lead for the several contact fingers, and sockets connected with said contact wires to permit interchangeable circuit connection therewith.

2. In apparatus of the character described, a substantially vertical stationary shaft, a tubular alarm cylinder pivoted upon the shaft and provided with annular sets of openings, a plurality of spring contact fingers secured to the shaft and extending radially and outwardly and terminating near and spaced from the inner surface of the tubular cylinder, said contact fingers being disposed in alinement with the annular sets of openings, a corresponding number of contact wires arranged near and exteriorly of the cylinder and in alinement with the contact fingers, means whereby the contact wires may be shifted away from the cylinder, a plug adapted for insertion Within a selected opening in the cylinder and having its outer end provided with a head to contact with a selected contact Wire and shift the same away from the cylinder, and means to rotate the cylinder.

3. In apparatus of the character described, a substantially vertical stationary shaft, a tubular alarm cylinder pivoted upon the shaft and provided with annular sets of openings, a plurality of spring contact fingers secured to the shaft in alinement with the annular sets of openings and extending toward the interior of the cylinder, a corresponding number of resilient contact wires arranged near and exteriorly of the cylinder in alinement with the contact fingers and having their ends tapered, a plug adapted for insertion within a selected opening in the cylinder and having its outer end provided with an enlarged head to contact with the tapered end of a selected contact wire, means to shift a selected contact wire away from the cylinder so that it cannot contact with the plug carried thereby, and means to rotate the cylinder.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

DAVID L. MARTYN. \Vitnesses:

HARRY F. COOMBS, CHARLES F. KnAUs.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). G. 

